The
Dominoes. Formed when Cliff, Sam and Arthur left Waterloo
Grammar. Sam was a prodigious piano pumper; Cliff assembled a simple but
effective drum kit; Arthur did a passable imitation of Little Richard &
Elvis!

Made their debut at the Caradoc Mission Hall, Seaforth. Actually recorded
an album (acetates exist) at Lambda Studios in Crosby...10 tracks, including
20 Flight Rock, Great Balls of Fire, Guitar Boogie and other classics.

Ted Taylor joined the band which would soon be pre-fixed with his name;
Charlie started to play a bit of bass on the four lower strings of a conventional
guitar; Arthur began to lose his enthusiasm for singing.

Cut a second album at Lambda and continued to grab gigs wherever they
could. Certain parties feel that "George's nose was put out of joint by
Ted's arrival...there wasn't enough room, from an ego point of view, for
two lead guitarists" - so George did a runner.

The first time anyone in Liverpool had seen an electric bass was when
Freddie Bell & the Bell Boys played there in May 57. Cliff Roberts:
"They had this big fat booming bass sound - but no double bass...then we
saw this strange long-necked, 4 string guitar...a Fender bass! That was
a revelation! You couldn't get hold of one over here-they just weren't
available - but Framus introduced an electric bass, and Bobby Thompson
got one of those".

August 1958 to October
1959

Bobby
came in to replace Charlie, who'd got his call-up papers.

Like every other group in Liverpool, they entered the Carrol/Levis talent
contest - and won their heat with 'Those Wedding Bells Are Breaking Up
That Old Gang of Mine'...plus a wild rocker!

Sam had left the band to become a police cadet with the Lancs Constabulary.
Bank clerk Geoff Bethell frequently depped.

Cliff:"By now we were playing interval spots at Litherland Town Hall
- the most prestigious venue in North Liverpool...that meant free admission
for the band and our girlfriends, plus free refreshments! We were local
celebrities now...we'd made it!"

The band split in half after a dispute over money - something about
taking less for a midweek gig. Three joined Ian's Zodiacs.
They make their Cavern debut (with Cilla) on 25th January 1961. Also
began to play regularly at the Orrell Park Ballroom. Kennedy strummed on
a Lucky 7 guitar that wasn't plugged in (but he was "a smashing singer")
and Flynn (back from the Army) played rhythm guitar and sang Sam Cooke-style
material. For a while, Cilla was Ted's girlfriend: "that was a sight for
sore eyes...she was a real beanpole, but he still towered above her at
1965!!" Towards the end of this period, Sam re-joined (tired of working
for Coppers and other well-worn jokes!).

According
to Sam, "the best line-up we ever had!" Cilla continued her cameo appearances.

Despite the fact that his hands were like bunches of bananas, Kingsize
was an extremely dextrous guitarist-influenced mainly by Carl Perkins and
Chuck Berry. His favourite singers were Fats Domino and Little Richard.
Did C&W stuff too".

At Aintree Institute one night, Bob Wooler announced "the Beatles...direct
from Hamburg" - and then "the Dominoes...direct from the lounge bar of
the Black Bull!!" Cliff: "We used to make a bee-line for the Black Bull,
which was next door...we were known to have a few drinks! For the promoter,
the biggest problems were not the fights...but getting the bands out of
the pub, onto the stage!"

Cilla Black had made her debut with the Hurricanes; she got up and sang
'Fever' with them one night. After more guest appearances with them and
the Big Three (billed as "Priscilla" she would usually sing Always, Summertime,
and Boys), she turned down an audition with Kenny Ball - wo was then a
big deal! Instead, she sang around the local clubs with her friends the
Dominoes...whose calling card styled her "Swinging Cilla".

Wen the Dominoes buggered off to Germany without her - she didn't want
to go there anyway! - Cilla's stage appearances dwindled. Pestered by John
Lennon, Brian Epstein eventually signed her in September 1963...and the
rest is history, folks!

Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes.
The group is voted sixth most popular on Merseyside in the first Merseybeat
readers' poll (the Beatles won!!).

By now, things were really starting to happen in Liverpool: more venues
opening every week; more groups forming every day! The others were thinking
about it, but Bobby couldn't wait to go pro...when Rory called, he jacked
in his job, got a passport the same day, and was off!

The Dominoes went to Hamburg for the first time in summer 1962 and went
down so well that they were offered a residency. Dave (still studying architecture
- he'd taken leave to go to Germany) said "no"...so they wrote to Ringo
in Skegness and he said "yes".. .but days later said "sorry, but the Beatles..."

Played Hamburg Star Club for 3 months solid - as resident group, but
also backing the cantankerous singer Davy Jones.

During this period, visiting acts to the Star Club included Jerry Lee
Lewis, Johnny & the Hurricanes, Joey Dee & the Starliters, and
their great heroes Fats Domino and Little Richard! Hey!!
Each night, Little Richard would enter the Dominoes' dressing room
and preach... "Praise the Lord!" But as far as they were concerned, he
was God!

Only just 17, Gibson had to obtain a special permit from Bow St Magistrates
court before he could work in Hamburg, where they continued to whack out
solid rock'n'roll to hordes of pissed German revellers!

Howie
Casey, who hadn't been playing for a year, flew to Hamburg to promote a
Seniors single which Phillips had suddenly decided to release in Germany...and
he decided to stay with the Dominoes. "We lived in a large, spacious flat
- very luxurious compared with my first visit to Hamburg - and we'd play
two sets a night, alternating with visiting groups".

Cut loads of live stuff at the Star Club (recorded by stage manager
Adrian Barber); made albums for Phillips and Polydor (issued as THE SHAKERS).

It's quite impossible to list the records made by Kingsize Taylor &
the Dominoes... they cut 55 tracks in Germany alone (at a conservative
estimate) - plus all sorts of odds and sods elsewhere!

Steve Aldo went to Amburg in October 1963, fronting the Challengers
(who he'd taken over from Tommy Quickly in June 1963). After an argument
he left the band to make its own way home - while he stayed on and sang
with the Dominoes.

Returned to England to push their first Decca single, Stupidity. Appeared
on Thank Your Lucky Stars. Toured with Chuck Berry.

This line-up backed Chuck Berry on his very first UK tour (in a package
with Carl Perkins, the Blue Jeans, Animals...saw it, and it was fabulous!!)
Chuck gave them a cursory rehearsal and a load of instructions - and then
changed intros, tempos and keys willy-nilly, and glared at the band for
not responding quickly enough! Still a great show!

The Dominoes. The band defected from
Kingsize (it was a quarrel so trivial that no-one can remember what it
was all about) and Paddy joined from the notorious Big Three.

Gigged around Liverpool and did one nighters for the Roy Tempest Agency
- but everyone was exhausted and needed a change. When Bobby was invited
to join Cliff Bennett they knocked it on the head...the end of a great
band. Nineteen members over 7 years!

In Germany the band recorded for Polydor as the
Shakers whilstunder contract to Philips. The Philips recordings
weren't issuedin the UK but the German single 'Never in a Hundred
Years' (Philips 345 618 PF) shows Taylor's vocal range.
The Polydorsingle of 'Money (That's What I Want)' was given
its true identityonce the Philips contract had expired. The LP
was repackaged under the same number as Shakers' Twist Club
with KingsizeTaylor and the Dominoes.The 'Teenbeat' EPs were recorded live at the
Star-Club by AriolaEurodisc and leased to Decca for UK release.
'Teenbeat 1' featuresthe Rattles and 'Teenbeat 3' the Bobby Patrick
Big Six, who came from Germany and Scotland respectively.The Dominoes' first commercial recording was
backing AudreyArno on 'Bitte Bleib Doch Bei Mir (Please Stay
With Me)'/'Limbo Italiano' (Polydor NH 52-098), credit
being given to'Audrey Arno die Tony Taylor Band' [sic].The singer gives an emotional performance on
the A-side, possiblybecause she'd just learned of the death of her
father.